Smokers across Bath and North East Somerset are being urged to make 2021 the year they quit.

Despite the stresses of Covid-19, 2020 saw the highest rates of successful quitting on record. It's estimated that during the first lockdown a million people across the country quit with hundreds of thousands remaining smoke-free.

Gabriella Alves, 21, from Bath is one of those success stories. She said: "Whilst studying, I noticed I was smoking more and more, and my fitness levels were declining. I'm a rugby player which was a big concern for me as I'm always training and was regularly getting out of breath on the pitch. This, alongside knowing that Covid-19 was circulating and is a virus that affects the lungs gave me the extra push I needed to quit for good. So, I picked up a vape starter kit and signed up to Virgin Care's wellbeing service for support.

"It was quite hard at the start because of the cravings and it was really difficult to adjust to using the vape, but I'm so happy I managed to stick at it. Since quitting, I have noticed my breathing and circulation have improved dramatically. I now feel fully in control and I'm confident I won't go back."

Virgin Care's free confidential Stop Smoking Service is available to all residents across Bath and North East Somerset. It offers support and advice to smokers who either want to stop smoking, cut down the amount they smoke or switch to vaping. Support is currently being offered remotely. For more information call 0300 247 0050, or e-mail: [email protected]

Councillor Rob Appleyard, cabinet member for Adult Services, said: "Gabriella is a great example of someone taking responsibility for their ongoing health. It's never been more important to quit smoking as smokers are 14 times more likely to be affected by the severe form of Covid-19. We have a fantastic range of support services to help you give up and by using them you are four times more likely to quit and stay quit.

As part of its drive to encourage people to give up smoking the council is sharing a powerful new film which tells the stories of those who have successfully quit in this turbulent year and calls on others to "put it down, put it out".

The film was commissioned by Southend Borough Council and is the work of spoken word artist Megan Cannon. She said: "We asked people who'd quit using the stop smoking services loads of questions and their responses were so powerful and full of emotion. I couldn't wait to put the stories together and create this piece, which I hope can inspire others to give up smoking too."

You can view the film by clicking HERE : You Tube

Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of the public health charity ASH which is supporting the roll out of the film, said: "This has been a tough year, but local councils have shown they are more than up to the challenge, showing tremendous commitment during the pandemic. Stop Smoking Services have continued to operate, despite councils having to pretty much rebuild them from scratch to provide socially distanced support delivered remotely. If you are planning to quit in 2021 get help from your local service, it might make all the difference."